Cloth accessory

ABSTRACT

A cloth accessory and methods for the use thereof are disclosed and described. In one aspect, the cloth accessory may include a cover member forming an enclosure with a cavity therein, and a cloth attached to the cover member. The cloth may have a first configuration wherein the cloth is retracted substantially into the cover member, and a second configuration wherein the cloth is extended substantially out of the cover member without becoming detached therefrom.

PRIORITY DATA

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/048,103, filed Jan. 31, 2005, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/402,251, filed on Mar. 27, 2003, now issued asU.S. Pat. No. 6,849,135, which claims priority to U.S. PatentApplication Ser. No. 60/368,444, filed Mar. 27, 2002, all of which areincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

A number of devices benefit from the use of a cloth or other absorbentdevice for cleansing or polishing. Particularly, those devices thatemploy one or more lenses, such as glasses, goggles, high powermagnification scopes, cameras, binoculars, safety glasses, sunglasses,etc., require periodic, or even frequent cleaning and maintenance inorder to maintain suitable visibility therethrough. This is especiallytrue when such devices are used in an outdoor setting during certainactivities, such as skiing, hiking, snow mobiling, fishing, hunting,motorcycling, and climbing, among others. In fact, the enjoyment,feasibility, and safety of many activities is often directly dependenton the use of various lens-bearing devices. For example, most huntingactivities benefit from the use of a high powered magnifying scope, andskiing almost always requires the use of glasses or goggles. Further,safety glasses are required in most laboratory and industrial artsenvironments.

Proper maintenance and treatment of a lens-bearing device can becritical. In fact, a number of situations may arise where thelens-bearing device may require cleaning or treatment during an activityin which it is being used. While most lenses are best cleaned with asoft cloth such as a microfilament fabric, in order to avoid scratching,more often than not, due to inconvenience and a lack of forethought, nosuch cloth is available for use during the activity. Therefore, the lenswill either remain dirty, perhaps impairing its function and posing apotential hazard, or being cleaned with whatever fabric is closest athand, such as a portion of a shirt, coat, etc., which may lead toscratching.

As such, a suitable device for cleaning, or treating the lenses of alens-bearing device, that is handy, convenient, inexpensive, and easy touse during a variety of activities and in various settings, continues tobe sought.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention provides a cloth accessory that isportable, handy, and convenient, for use in cleaning or treating alens-bearing device. In some aspects, the accessory may be configuredfor use during an activity in which the lens-bearing device is beingused. The cloth accessory generally includes a cover member and a clothattached to the cover member. In one aspect, the cover member may forman enclosure with a cavity therein, and the cloth may have a firstconfiguration wherein it is retracted substantially into the covermember and a second configuration wherein it is extended substantiallyout of the cover member without becoming detached therefrom. In thismanner, the cloth may be extended out of the cover member for use, andthen replaced back inside the cover member for storage, until it isneeded again.

The cover member may be made from a wide variety of materials, includingboth durable and soft materials. In one aspect, the cover member may bemade of the same material as the cloth, and in fact, the cover membermay be an extension of the cloth. Further, the cover member may have anattachment member that can be used for attachment to a lens-bearingdevice, or other device, such as a cover, case, pack, article ofclothing, etc. As such, the cleaning and polishing device may be storedin a manner which allows it to be within quick and convenient access foruse before, during, or after an activity.

During storage periods, the cloth member is pushed, rolled, or otherwiseplaced substantially into the cover member. When used, the cloth memberis extended substantially out of the cover member, but has no risk ofbeing dropped or lost, as it is attached to an inside portion of thecover member. In one aspect of the invention, the cover may be a softpouch that becomes inverted upon retrieval and use of the cloth. Inanother aspect of the invention, the cloth may be of a soft andabsorbent material, such as a micro fiber cloth. In yet another aspect,the cover may be of a protective material. Further, the cover may beequipped with an optional fastener that is used to close an opening inthe cover through which the cloth is retrieved and stored.

In addition to the devices described herein, the present inventionencompasses a method for cleaning or treating a lens-bearing device.Such a method includes providing a cloth accessory as disclosed herein,and contacting the lens of the lens-bearing device with the cloth in amanner sufficient to clean or treat the lens.

There has thus been outlined, rather broadly, the more importantfeatures of the invention so that the detailed description thereof thatfollows may be better understood, and so that the present contributionto the art may be better appreciated. Other features of the presentinvention will become clearer from the following detailed description ofthe invention, taken with the accompanying drawings, or may be learnedby the practice of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a side view of a cloth accessory in accordance with oneembodiment of the invention, shown in a storage posture, having thecloth member retracted up into the cover member.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the cloth accessory shown in FIG. 1, having thecloth member extended out of the cover member, with the cover member ina non-inverted position.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the cloth accessory of FIGS. 1 and 2 beingready for use, having the cloth member extended out of the cover member,and the cover member inverted, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present cloth accessory and accompanying methods of use andmanufacture are disclosed and described, it is to be understood thatthis invention is not limited to the particular process steps andmaterials disclosed herein, but is extended to equivalents thereof aswould be recognized by those ordinarily skilled in the relevant arts. Itshould also be understood that terminology employed herein is used forthe purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is notintended to be limiting.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and, “the” include pluralreferents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, forexample, reference to “the material” or “a cloth” includes reference toone or more of such materials.

DEFINITIONS

In describing and claiming the present invention, the followingterminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set forthbelow.

As used herein, “cloth” refers to any, flexible, absorbent, fabric thatcan be used for cleaning or polishing. In one aspect, the cloth may bemade of micro fibers to reduce the incidence of scratching when used toclean or polish a lens-bearing device.

As used herein, “cover member” refers to a cover or container of amaterial that is capable of having a cloth attached thereto, and storinga cloth substantially therein, while allowing the cloth to be extendabletherefrom for use. In one aspect, the cover may be of a flexiblematerial that is durable and waterproof, such as neoprene.

As used herein, “attachment member” refers to a mechanism or method bywhich the cover member may be attached to another device, includingwithout limitation, straps, loops, hooks, clasps, clips, snaps, etc.

As used herein, “fastener” refers to a structure or method which iscapable of at least partially closing, and holding closed, the openingof a cover member. In some aspects, the opening may be entirely closedand in some aspects, made water tight. Examples of specific fastenersinclude without limitation, snaps, hooks, straps, cords, hook and loopfasteners (i.e. Velcro®), buttons, drawstrings, buckles, clasps, andzippers, among others.

As used herein, “plastic” refers to a rigid or semi-rigid polymericmaterial that can be extruded, molded, or cast into a number ofdifferent shapes. A wide variety of plastics are known to those ofordinary skill in the art, a number of which may be selected in order toprovide a cover member with specifically desired characteristics.

Sizes, amounts, and other numerical data may be expressed or presentedherein in a range format. It is to be understood that such a rangeformat is used merely for convenience and brevity and thus should beinterpreted flexibly to include not only the numerical values explicitlyrecited as the limits of the range, but also to include all theindividual numerical values or sub-ranges encompassed within that rangeas if each numerical value and sub-range is explicitly recited.

As an illustration, a numerical range of “about 1 centimeter to about 5centimeters” should be interpreted to include not only the explicitlyrecited values of about 1 centimeter to about 5 centimeters, but alsoinclude individual values and sub-ranges within the indicated range.Thus, included in this numerical range are individual values such as 2,3, and 4 and sub-ranges such as from 1-3, from 2-4, and from 3-5, etc.This same principle applies to ranges reciting only one numerical value.Furthermore, such an interpretation should apply regardless of thebreadth of the range or the characteristics being described.

THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a cloth accessory that is convenientlyaccessible for use in cleaning or treating a lens-bearing device. Theconfiguration and portability of the device allow it to be convenientlyused in cleaning or treating a lens-bearing device during an activity inwhich the lens-bearing device is used. Referring now to FIG. 1, is showna cloth accessory 5, having a cover member 10, forming an enclosure witha cavity and an opening 15 for retrieving and inserting a cloth 25. Thecloth is shown in a first configuration wherein the cloth is retractedsubstantially into the cover member and retained in a stored position.The cover member additionally has an attachment member 20 coupled to thecover member, for attaching or securing the cloth accessory to alens-bearing device, a storage case therefore, an article of clothing,or other object. Notably, the cloth is attached, or fixed to the covermember at an attachment point (not shown) in order to prevent the clothfrom becoming separated from the cover member. In this way, the clothmay not be dropped or lost during its use.

Referring now to FIG. 2, is shown the cloth accessory 5, with the cloth25 in a second configuration wherein the cloth is extended substantiallyout of the opening 15 of cover member 10. The cloth remains attached toan inside portion of the cover member at an attachment point 30. In someaspects of the present invention, the cloth may be used while extendedin this configuration. This is especially true when the cover member ismade of a rigid or semi-rigid material as more fully elaborated below.

Referring now to FIG. 3, is shown the cloth accessory 5, with the clothalso in a second configuration wherein the cloth 25 is extendedsubstantially out of the opening 15 of cover member 10. In addition, thecover member is inverted to expose substantially the entire cloth. Thecloth remains attached to the inside portion of the cover member thealong attachment point 30, and because of the inverted state of thecover member, the attachment member 20 is now inside the inverted covermember. The cloth in this configuration may be used for cleaning ortreating a lens-bearing device. Once the cloth has been used, it may bereturned to the inside of the cover member reverting the cover member toits normal position, and either folding, rolling, or stuffing the cloththereinto.

As will be recognized, the embodiment of FIG. 3 can be made possible, byhaving the cover member 10 be made of a soft and flexible material, andthe embodiment of FIG. 2, can be used if the cover member is rigid orsemi-rigid. The cover member may be made from a number of suitablematerials as required in order to achieve a specific result or desiredpurpose. The cover member may also be made water proof, either by thenature of the material selected, or a treatment applied thereto, and canalso be made otherwise resistant to outdoor elements in order to protectas well as house the cloth 25. As such, the cover member may be made ofboth durable (i.e. rigid or semi-rigid) and soft flexible materials.Examples of suitable soft or flexible materials include withoutlimitation, fabrics, such as wool, cotton, polyester, rayon, fleece, andnylon, as well as polymeric materials, such as rubber, flexibleplastics, neoprene, and vinyl. Further, natural materials, such asleather, or other skins may be used. Examples of durable (i.e. rigid orsemi-rigid) materials include without limitation, plastics and otherpolymeric materials, metals, wood, etc. As will be recognized by one ofordinary skill in the art, most if not all of the above-recitedmaterials will be suitable for printing or screening in order toaccommodate specific designs or logos to be printed thereon.

The cover member opening 15 may optionally include a fastener 35, thatis used to close or substantially close the opening and further aid insecuring the cloth 25 when stored inside the cover member 10. A widevariety of fasteners and fastening mechanisms may be employed to closethe opening, as required in order to provide a specific device capableof achieving a specific result. Examples of suitable fasteners includewithout limitation, snaps, buttons, drawstrings, hook and loop fasteners(i.e. Velcro®), zippers, and clasps. In one aspect, the fastener may bea hook and loop fastener. In another aspect, the fastener may be a snap.In yet another aspect, the fastener may be a drawstring. Many of thesearticles may be used either in connection with, or without, an optionalflap or lid (not shown) that folds or rests over an outside portion ofthe cover member to close the opening. It will be appreciated that a lidwill be the primary fastening mechanism for closing the opening when arigid or semi-rigid material is used for the cover member.

In some aspects, the cover member 10 may be of a rigid or semi-rigidmaterial in a multi-piece form. Such pieces may be hinged or claspedtogether in a manner like a locket, or other hinged case, which allowsthe pieces to open and expose the cloth 25 held in a first retractedconfiguration to be extended into the second or extended configuration.Further, it will be recognized that when a rigid or semi-rigid covermember with a lid is employed, that the lid will be attached to thecover member by one of a variety of hinging mechanisms, such as a hinge,strap, cord, etc. Notably, the pieces of such a cover member may befastened together so as to remain closed, using one or more of thefasteners recited herein, the specific type of which may be selected byone of ordinary skill in the art to obtain a specific design or result.In one aspect, the multi-piece cover member may include a plurality ofpieces hinged together. In another aspect, the number of hinged piecesmay be two. In yet another aspect, the number of hinged pieces may bethree or more.

Similarly, the attachment member 20 may take a variety of configurationsor mechanisms that are capable of attaching the cloth accessory 5 to adesired item, such as a lens-bearing device, carrying case therefore,article of clothing, key chain, etc. In one aspect, the attachmentmember may be a simple loop of desired material and length. In thiscase, the loop is wound around a portion of the object to which theaccessory 5 is being secured, and then the cover member is slippedthrough an open end of the loop and the loop pulled tight to take up anyslack. The material used for such a loop may be elastic to furtherprovide a tight attachment to the object. Those of ordinary skill in theart will recognize that a host of other specific devices and methods maybe used to secure the accessory to a desired object, including withoutlimitation, lanyards, clasps, straps, cords, snaps, clips, and buckles.However, in one aspect, the attachment member may be an elastic loop. Inanother aspect, the attachment member may be a cord.

The cloth 25 that is used in connection with the cover member 10 may bemade of a wide variety of materials and fabrics that are suited toaccomplishing a specific purpose, such as cleaning or treating the lensof a lens-bearing device without scratching it. Nearly any woven ornon-woven fabrics may be used. Further, fabrics with a selected degreeof absorbability may be used with some cloths being selected to be moreabsorbent than others. Examples include without limitation, cotton,polyester, and other cloths, microfiber cloths, super absorbent clothsor materials, such as chamois, and other natural or synthetic absorbentmaterials. In one aspect, the cloth may be a microfiber cloth. The clothmay additionally be configured to hold a variety of materials useful intreating lens-bearing devices, such as cleaning and anti-fog solutions,polishes, waxes, etc.

Furthermore, the cloth 25 may be of a variety of shapes and sizes.Circular, square, rectangular, triangular, hexagonal, and other customdesigned shapes and geometrical configurations may be used. The onlyspecific limitation on this aspect of the invention is that the clothnot be so big as to be unable to fit inside the cover member asindicated herein. In one aspect, the cloth may have a length that issufficient to allow it to be useful for cleaning or treatment of alens-bearing device when it is attached to the cover member at a pointof attachment 30 that is substantially opposite the opening 15 of thecover member. In one aspect, such a length may be at least about twicethe distance from the point of attachment to the opening. In anotheraspect, such a length may be at least about three or four times thisdistance.

Further, in one aspect, the cloth 25 may be attached to the insideportion of the cover member 10 at nearly any convenient point ofattachment 30, using a variety of attachment mechanisms, which eitherrender the cloth permanently fixed to the cover member, or removablefrom the cover member. As shown in FIG. 3, the cloth is attached near acentral portion of the inside of the cover member. In fact, in oneaspect, the point of cloth attachment may be inside the cover member atthe same location as the attachment member 20 outside of the covermember. In this manner, the overall strength of the cloth attachmentpoint may be improved while manufacture thereof may be simplified.Moreover, in one aspect, the cloth may not be attached to the covermember at all, but may rather be attached directly to the attachmentmember 20. In such an embodiment, the attachment member extends througha small hole made in the cover member. The cloth is then removably heldin the cover member either by the frictional force of the cover membersurrounding the attachment member extending therethrough, or may beremovably or permanently held in place by one of the other attachmentmechanisms set forth herein. For example, the cover member may be fusedto the attachment member protruding therethrough.

While the point of attachment 30 location, substantially opposite theopening 15 may be advantageous in some embodiments, the point ofattachment may be attached at a point much closer to the opening 15 whendesired. In one aspect, the point of attachment may be right at theopening, or just within the opening. Such points of attachment may beespecially useful if the cover member is made of a rigid material,rather than a soft flexible material that is capable of being invertedto expose the entire cloth. In this manner, substantially the entirecloth may still be extended out of the cover member without theinversion thereof. Such an attachment point may also be used with a softand flexible cover member. Moreover, in some aspects of the invention,the cloth may be attached to the cover member at an attachment pointthat is located on the outside thereof, rather than inside the opening.

Permanent attachment mechanisms for the cloth 25 the cover member 10 mayinclude gluing, stitching, melting, or otherwise fusing the cloth to theinside of the cover member at the desired attachment point 30. Removableattachment mechanisms may include without limitation, snaps, hook andloop fasteners (i.e. Velcro®), or buttons. As will be recognized, theremoving mechanisms allow the cloth to be removed from the cover memberfor washing or other cleaning or treatment. Moreover, the removingmechanisms allow the cloth to be replace when worn out, or if damagedwithout the necessity of replacing the entire device. When the covermember is made of a soft and flexible material, the cloth may simply beextended out therefrom, as shown in FIG. 3, and the entire accessoryplaced in a washing machine, etc. in order to accomplishing cleaning orother treatment of the cloth.

In one aspect of the present invention, the cover member 10 may be anextension of the cloth 25 itself, which is configured to accommodate therest of the cloth which is folded, rolled, or wadded, and securedinside. As will be recognized by those skilled in the art, a number offlap, sleeve, and pouch designs can be employed to achieve thisembodiment. Further, in such an embodiment, the attachment member 20 andoptional fastener are attached directly to the cover member portion ofthe cloth.

The present invention also encompasses methods for use of the device setforth herein. In one aspect, the present invention includes a method forcleaning or treating a lens-bearing device by providing a device asrecited herein, orienting the cloth into the second configurationwherein the cloth is extended substantially out of the cover member, andcontacting the lens of the lens-bearing device with the cloth in amanner sufficient to clean or treat the lens.

Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may be devised bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe present invention and the present invention is intended to coversuch modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the present inventionhas been described above with particularity and detail in connectionwith what is presently deemed to be the most practical and preferredembodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those of ordinaryskill in the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limitedto, variations in size, materials, shape, form, function, manner ofoperation, assembly, and use may be made without departing from theprinciples and concepts set forth herein.

1. A cloth accessory comprising: an invertible cover member of a softand flexible material forming an enclosure with an opening therein; anda cloth coupled to the cover member at a point of attachment near acentral inside portion of the cover member, said cloth having a firstconfiguration wherein the cloth is retracted substantially into thecover member for storage and a second configuration wherein the cloth isextended substantially out of the cover member for use while remainingcoupled to the cover member, said second configuration having aninverted cover member position and a non-inverted cover member position,said cloth having a length sufficient to extend substantially out of thecover member and be used when the cover member is in the non-invertedposition.
 2. The cloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the point ofattachment is substantially opposite the opening.
 3. The cloth accessoryof claim 1, wherein the length of the cloth is at least about twice thedistance from the point of attachment to the opening.
 4. The clothaccessory of claim 1, wherein the length of the cloth is at least aboutthree times the distance from the point of attachment to the opening. 5.The cloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the opening is rounded.
 6. Thecloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the opening in said cover member hasthe same size when the cover member is in the inverted and non-invertedpositions.
 7. The cloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the cloth isdirectly coupled to the cover member.
 8. The cloth accessory of claim 1,wherein the soft and flexible material includes a polymeric material. 9.The cloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the soft and flexible materialincludes a fabric material.
 10. The cloth accessory of claim 1, whereinthe cover member is an extension of the cloth.
 11. The cloth accessoryof claim 1, further comprising an attachment member coupled to the covermember configured to attach the cloth accessory to an object.
 12. Thecloth accessory of claim 11, wherein the attachment member comprises anelastic loop.
 13. The cloth accessory of claim 11, wherein theattachment member comprises a cord.
 14. The cloth accessory of claim 1,wherein the cover member has a single opening through which the cloth isextended and retracted.
 15. The cloth accessory of claim 14, wherein thecover member is a pouch.
 16. The cloth accessory of claim 14, furthercomprising a fastener coupled to the cover member at the opening tosubstantially close the opening.
 17. The cloth accessory of claim 16,wherein the fastener is a member selected from the group consistingessentially of: a button, a clasp, a draw string, a hook and loopfastener, a snap, and a zipper.
 18. The cloth accessory of claim 17,wherein the fastener is a hook and loop fastener.
 19. The clothaccessory of claim 17, wherein the fastener is a snap.
 20. The clothaccessory of claim 17, wherein the fastener is a draw string.
 21. Thecloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the cloth is absorbent.
 22. Thecloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the cloth comprises microfibers. 23.The cloth accessory of claim 1, wherein the cloth is removably coupledto the cover member.
 24. A method for cleaning or treating a devicecomprising: providing a cloth accessory as recited in claim 1; orientingthe cloth into the second configuration; and contacting the device withthe cloth in a manner sufficient to clean or treat the device.